


tender is the night

by Marezelle



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Airbending & Airbenders, Anger Management, Avatar Femslash Week, Comfort/Angst, Drama, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Mental Breakdown, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 22:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4496964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marezelle/pseuds/Marezelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Now in charge of the airbenders at the Eastern Air Temple, Jinora is determined to prove herself a capable leader, and with Ikki and Opal by her side it seems like it should be easy. But as she tries her hardest to take care of everyone around her, Jinora's inability to find balance in her own life begins to affect her far worse than she'll ever be willing to admit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	tender is the night

**Author's Note:**

> This began as my contribution for Avatar Femslash week, Day Two - Night, but it got really out of control (if you can't tell by the word count, and the fact that it's a little over day late.) But the night theme did sort of prevail, so it counts. Probably. Maybe.
> 
> The awful title is a reference to the song Tender by Blur. Also, if anyone is really curious since Opal's age never comes up in the fic; Jinora is nineteen, and Opal is twenty-five. Which is probably their canon age difference, if Opal is about the same age as Bolin.
> 
> Anyway. Reviews would be nice, you know the drill. Enjoy!
> 
> 9/2/15: Just redid the math and realized that, if Jinora has an autumn birthday like most airbenders, she would actually be 18 for most of the year 179 AG. So I pushed the story forward one year, to 180 AG. That's the only change. Thanks for reading!

_Spring, 180 AG._

It’s an unusual evening for Jinora as she wanders the grounds of the Eastern Air Temple alone past dark, a dragonfly bunny spirit floating along beside her. Any other evening would have seen her in bed hours ago, but Korra had mentioned over dinner that there was supposed to be a blood moon later that night. Asami explained that it was merely a total lunar eclipse, but it had still left Jinora feeling strange. The rational part of Jinora understands that this particular lunar anomaly doesn’t necessarily mean that anything bad will happen, but it still doesn’t quite settle with her spiritually.

It’s her job, after all, to keep the temple safe. Two weeks prior she had come here with a small group of airbenders to hopefully begin residing at the temple permanently. It’s also a sort of test, she knows. Jinora is nineteen, now, and her father probably wants to see how capable she is at leading the airbenders on her own.

So here she is, alone and in charge of a group of about twenty airbenders, the fifty-some acolytes already living at the temple, and the resident herd of flying bison. It’s been a quiet stay thus far. The only thing to interrupt the daily routine has been the arrival of Korra and Asami earlier that day. Asami told Jinora that she wants to run checks on the structure of the buildings the acolytes hadn’t been using before Jinora and the airbenders arrived, and Korra came along to say hello to Jinora and the others. Jinora is grateful for the company, but still uneasy about this moon. After all, if she’s learned anything in her short life it’s that things go wrong when Korra is around, intentional or otherwise.

Fortunately everything seems peaceful around the temple. Still, it calms her to roam around, making sure that everything is as it should be. A reddish shadow has been creeping across the moon for about a half hour now, and Jinora knows that the full eclipse is soon. So she continues walking, and she’s crossing the bridge from the north mountain to the central one when she catches movement out of the corner of her eye.

Instantly she gestures to the dragonfly bunny spirit to be quiet. It’s obvious that the movement is a person, and judging by the glider in their hands, an airbender. Jinora stops and watches as the familiar figure silently opens the glider before diving from the edge of the temple down toward the ground.

Just before the airbender disappears into the shadows, Jinora manages to make out that it’s Opal.

Jinora is surprised, to say the least. While it’s any one of her airbenders’ business to do as they please whenever they wish, for the most part, sneaking off at night is not a usual behavior. And it’s not that she doesn’t trust Opal, because Jinora certainly does after everything that they have been through. It’s more that she’s concerned. After about a minute of waiting she opens her own glider and looks at the spirit beside her. “I’ll be back,” she promises quietly, and then she leaps off the bridge, gliding down toward where Opal had gone.

From the temple down to the ground is perhaps a five minute flight, and one Jinora has only ever flown by bison. When she finally lands between the trees, her feet silently hitting the new, soft spring grass, the moon is almost entirely red. She snaps the glider closed and listens for a moment before walking. Soon she hears, nearly imperceptibly, the familiar sound of wind striking trees. Jinora continues forward more carefully, stopping as she reaches a small brook dividing the forest from the edge of another clearing. It’s a place that Jinora recognizes, a treeless plain that borders a pond fed from numerous waterfalls at the edge of the mountain. Surely enough, Opal is out in the middle of the clearing, practicing her bending in a way that Jinora has never seen before.

Once she’s sure that she’s hidden from sight, the master in Jinora begins analyzing Opal’s movements. The forms are familiar considering that Jinora helped her father teach Opal nearly all of them, and of course she’s learned them herself. But still there is something foreign to the way that Opal moves. For the most part her movements are light and graceful, as airbending should be, but there’s something rough around the edges that causes Jinora to pause and consider. After a few more minutes of watching Opal send air blasts, punches, and kicks at the trees and cliffs around her, it hits Jinora. She’s angry. Opal is most definitely angry, although at what Jinora can only guess.

Despite herself, Jinora can’t get herself to do more than observe. Opal continues to cycle through the forms, calmly setting each one up before exerting immense force through the execution. Precision decaying into raw energy, again and again. If Jinora wasn’t stunned she would be impressed by the sheer power Opal is displaying. However, Jinora is still a master airbender, and if what she thinks she’s seeing is the truth then there’s no doubt that the way Opal is bending goes against everything the Air Nomads believed in. Detachment. Peace. Enlightenment. This is anything but that. And while the new Air Nation is by no means an exact duplicate of the Air Nomads, their culture has, for the most part, been preserved.

If it were not so startlingly beautiful, Jinora might step out into the clearing right then and there to put a stop to this. Instead she eventually turns around to go back to the temple. Opal will be fine, she thinks. She’ll keep an eye on her, certainly, but there’s no reason why Jinora needs to interfere just quite yet. By the time she is back in her bed, the blood moon has long since faded.

\---

“You seem tired,” Asami tells her. Her tone is casual, but Jinora understands that she’s concerned. Asami is nothing if not caring, not to mention perceptive. And it’s true that Jinora has been yawning somewhat excessively, not to mention occasionally requesting that Asami repeat something that she had missed.

They’ve been touring the temple all morning, Asami carrying around a notebook and a pencil. Most of the buildings are in sound shape, but there are a few weak ceilings in the dormitories. They’ll be simple to fix, Asami assures her, nothing that the acolytes can’t handle themselves. This relieves Jinora immensely. The last thing she needs is to hire workers to make the repairs, even though she knows Asami would be more than willing to organize the work and pay the expenses. Jinora is attempting to be a fully independent leader, just like her father. Although she appreciates the help, she knows that she needs to do most of this on her own.

“I went to bed a bit late last night,” Jinora admits. “I wanted to see the eclipse. It was rather pretty, actually. More so than the name ‘blood moon’ would lead you to think.”

Asami nods at her in agreement. “Yeah, I’ve caught a few of them myself. Actually, Korra and I saw an eclipse in the spirit world – whether it was solar or lunar I have no idea, since things are different there than they are here, maybe it was neither – but it was one of the most amazing things we saw there…” She keeps talking, but Jinora turns her attention to the airbenders training in the distance. All is well, she tells herself. Everything is going to be just fine.

\---

The following day Jinora is supervising airbending training, watching and helping the other airbenders as they practice Ba Gua circle exercises. The airbenders who came along with her are, for the most part, among those who volunteered to join them early on after Harmonic Convergence. Airbenders who, like her, are dedicated rather seriously to their training. There are a few missing faces – Kai, for example, not that she wants to think about that – but it’s good to be surrounded by people who are used to being trained by her, and who truly want to improve. It makes it a much simpler matter to reach out and correct the height of Yung’s arm, or to tell Otaku that he’s moving too quickly through the exercise.

When it’s Opal’s turn to do the circle Jinora can’t help but scrutinize her movement in contrast to her bending on the night of the blood moon. If her movements were off today Jinora would have an excuse to ask Opal how she’s doing, but there’s no trace of any anger at all. Opal moves through the circle like a pro, steady and firm. It’s a little exasperating, really, because Jinora _just wants to help._ She tells Opal to do the exercise again, for good measure. This time Jinora’s eyes trace the curve of Opal’s arms, and the way Opal’s bangs frame her eyes. It’s not until Opal’s finished that Jinora realizes she was focused on all of the wrong things.

\---

It’s dinnertime, and it must be a week for guests at the Eastern Air Temple because Kya shows up half an hour before they eat, though she says she’s only stopping in for the night. While Jinora is more than happy to see her aunt, the first thing she does is pull her to the side and ask if Tenzin told her come check on her.

“Yeah, he did.” Kya admits, not bothering to hide it. “I don’t really see why, though, Jinora. You’re more than capable of being in charge here, and obviously you’re doing wonderfully. Your aura is a bit dim though, sweetie. Is there anything that’s bothering you?”

Jinora brushes her off, but the comment still has her wondering. Is anything bothering her? Opal’s bending, maybe. And of course just the general stress of supervising the temple. At the other end of the table she can hear Opal and Ikki laughing at something Korra’s just said. Meanwhile Kya is questioning Asami on how well Korra is taking care of herself, and Jinora is stuck staring at her peas and attempting to decide if there’s any way to ask Opal if she’s doing okay.

She gets her answer not ten minutes later when her aunt turns toward Ikki and Opal and asks, “And how are you and Bolin doing?” It’s a shock to all of them when Opal’s eyes well up, she stands, and quickly rushes out of the dining hall.

Korra is the first to speak, interrupting the terse silence. “She and Bolin broke up a few weeks ago,” she explains quietly, and suddenly things make a little more sense.

Jinora doesn’t know how she hadn’t know that before, why Opal had hidden it from her, but she resolves to do her best to help Opal feel better.

\---

Jinora gets out of bed a little before midnight, changes her clothes, grabs her glider, and begins to head back toward the clearing at the base of the mountain. The moon above her head is only just beginning to wane, and it’s more than enough light to help her find her way.

Her suspicions are confirmed when she hears gusts and blasts of wind rippling through the trees. Opal is bending angrily again, except tonight her forms are much sloppier. To be perfectly honest Jinora is a little worried that Opal might twist her ankle as she quickly, carelessly turns to complete another air kick.

She has to intervene. “Opal.” Jinora calls, stepping across the brook, but the other airbender must not hear her. “Opal,” she calls louder. “ _Opal!_ ”

The worst nearly happens as Opal is startled so badly that she trips and falls. “Jinora!” She exclaims, and pushes herself up. “Wait, what are you doing- did you follow me?” Opal’s eyes narrow, and Jinora notes that she should tread carefully.

“Yes,” Jinora says, “Because I was worried about you.” She doesn’t mention that she had also followed her a few nights before. “Your bending just now was- I don’t know, it was messy? It was unlike you. Are you alright?”

Opal stills for a long moment, but finally she releases the tension in her shoulders and sighs. A true airbender’s sigh, deep and long. “Not really,” she admits, staring off to the side.

Jinora stops walking when she’s a few feet in front of her. “Do you want to talk about it at all?”

“I, well. Maybe. I don’t know. I’m just- I’m still upset over my break-up with Bolin, if you hadn’t already caught that.” The corner of Opal’s mouth lifts in a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“Your bending looked…” Jinora bites her lip. “Angry. Is that how you’re feeling? Because that’s a perfectly okay way to feel. I’m just not sure it’s right to channel it into your bending.”

“That’s why I was doing it out _here_ ,” Opal shouts back. Jinora is visibly shaken, and Opal’s expression quickly changes to one of horror. “Oh no. I’m so sorry, Jinora. I didn’t mean to snap like that. I’m sorry. It’s just that… I _know_ that. But I can’t help that I grew up in a family of hard headed earthbenders who spar and throw rocks at things when they're angry. It’s how we deal with things. I know that it’s not the best solution, but I don’t know what else to do. I’m sorry.” She ducks her head, apologetic.

Once she composes herself, Jinora sighs. “You don’t have to be sorry, Opal. It’s alright. Really. I understand, I think. You might even be able to say that I can relate.” She adds, and the two share a knowing, sad look. Jinora almost thinks about it, about Kai, but no. She _can’t_. This isn’t about her and him, but about Opal and her feelings.

“Thank you.” Opal says, and the small smile she gives Jinora is genuine. They’re silent for a few more moments, and Jinora is just about to suggest that they go back, but then Opal speaks again. “Can I ask you how you deal with it? Feeling angry and upset, I mean. I’m sure those siblings of yours drive your patience up the wall. Mine sure do,” she chuckles.

“I meditate, or read.” Jinora replies automatically. She realizes then that her methods of coping are essentially opposite to Opal’s.

Opal snorts. “Of course you do. How very airbender of you.”

“I mean, I can’t help that I grew up in a family of airbenders.” Jinora jokes, and the fact that it makes Opal laugh a little makes everything just a little bit better.

\---

Before they reach the temple dormitories Jinora stops Opal with a hand on her arm. “If you ever wanted to meditate at night after I’m done with my duties, you know, to work through things, I’m more than willing to help,” Jinora offers. It’s a purely innocent suggestion. She’s a master, and Opal is technically her pupil. The extra time spent with her would be only for Opal’s benefit, not Jinora’s.

Oh, who is she kidding? Jinora knows herself well enough to recognize the warmth in her fingers as they clasp Opal’s wrist. The sensation travels through her, familiar and new at the same time. She wishes that she could honestly say it’s an unwelcome feeling, but she can’t.

It couldn’t possibly be a worse time in their lives for her to feel this way. Jinora couldn’t have possibly found a worse person to feel this way _toward_.

“I might just take you up on that, Jinora. Thank you,” Opal smiles, and then she hugs Jinora. “For everything.” And while Jinora has certainly hugged Opal before, there’s a difference tonight in the way it feels. More intimate. Warmer.

As she lets go of her friend, Jinora has to remind herself that it’s all in her head.

\---

There’s a knock on her bedroom door two nights later, only fifteen minutes or so after Jinora has settled in with a book. “Come in,” she calls.

To her delight, it’s Opal’s face that pops in when the door slides open. “Hey, Jinora. I was wondering if you had the time to meditate with me?” Opal asks, looking hopeful. Even if Jinora didn’thave the time, she would easily shirk her duties to please her.

_Not the mark of a good leader, Jinora. Watch yourself._

“Of course. Would you like to go now?” Jinora asks, happily.

Opal breaks into a smile that’s so bright it fills Jinora with warmth down to her toes.

\---

“The Air Nomads practiced detaching themselves from worldly concerns, aspiring to reach enlightenment by letting go of all the worries and struggles that bothered them on a day to day basis. Of course, that’s easier said than done,” Jinora pauses when Opal snorts, “And it might not be attainable for most of us. Nevertheless, it’s the ideal towards which we reach.”

“Anger is a necessary emotion, but the Air Nomads believed it was important to recognize it and then let it go. Doing so allowed them to exert control and maintain balance in their lives. Feeding anger can have disastrous consequences. In this sense, anger is like a fire. If we fuel it with more anger it will only grow too large to contain. This gives it the power to do terrible damage, to both ourselves and those around us.”

Opal interjects with a question. “Does this mean that the Air Nomads just ignored their feelings when they were angry? Because that doesn’t sound like a good plan at all. It would be like extinguishing every fire you saw.” She raises a skeptical eyebrow.

Jinora smiles at Opal’s point. “I agree. While some Air Nomad monks and nuns did suggest just that, I would argue that doing so only rarely works out well. Ignoring a fire may sometimes turn out alright, but even then there’s a good chance it might grow out of control. Ignoring a fire will only lead to not realizing it’s burning everything down until it’s too late. No, instead we’re going to do what airbenders do best. Add air.” She smiles. “Fire can’t burn without air, just as it can’t burn without fuel. So what we need to do is face our anger, give it the thought and consideration it needs, but not let it grow out of control. In doing so we can work through our anger until it burns out naturally. And I think we can do that through meditating.”

Opal stares at her for a few moments, but finally nods. “Okay. Whatever you say. What should I do?”

This is where it might become hard. “I’m going to guide you through recognizing your anger in a productive way. Are you ready to start?” Opal nods, and Jinora settles into her usual meditation pose. “We’ll begin slowly. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and focus on your breath. We’ll continue in a few minutes.”

As soon as Opal’s eyes close, Jinora does the same. Once several minutes have passed, she speaks again. “Okay. Now, Opal, I want you to think about the thing that’s making you angry, but continue focusing on your breathing. You’re allowed to feel your anger. Every emotion you feel is justified. Know that, but don’t let it consume you. Don’t let your anger out of control.”

_“Your air kick needs to be more precise,” Jinora told him. Kai had just used the move to kick up some of the sand on the beach. “It’s never consistent. You should probably practice that tomorrow during training. I could help you, if you want.”_

_But Kai only sighed, obviously exasperated. “Can we not talk about my training right now? We came here to have fun, not practice airbending. I wasn’t trying to do a perfect air kick, anyway. I was just messing around.”_

_She always did this, and it was never until he pointed it out to her that she realized he was right. “I’m know, I’m sorry,” she sighed. “Do you want to build a sand castle?”_

Jinora has to stop and focus on her own breath for a few counts before going on. “Your anger is justified, and it is okay to feel it. Recognize, though, that feeding it will only allow it to take over your life. Feeding it will only hurt you. It won’t help you solve your problems, or avenge your feelings. So face your anger with the knowledge that you’re not going to let it influence your life.”

\---

It’s a warm spring day, and Jinora tells the airbenders over breakfast that training is canceled. She figures that they deserve it, and the occasional unplanned holiday can’t hurt. After lunch a group of airbenders, Ikki and Korra included, decide to play a game of air ball. Jinora opts out in lieu of watching the game and ensuring no one gets hurt.

Perhaps ten minutes into the game, Opal wanders over to her. “Hey, Jinora,” she greets her, “Mind if I sit?”

Jinora smiles and gesture to the grass beside her. “Go right ahead. You can help me scope out everyone’s weaknesses so we can beat them the next time we play.”

Opal laughs as she settles in beside her. “Sure, that’s what you’re doing. You’re not fooling me, Jinora, you’re not that malicious. Except to Ikki and Meelo, maybe. Not that I can blame you, there.”

Out on the field, Ikki scores a point and celebrates by doing an air scooter lap. Jinora shrugs at Opal lazily. “So I’m a competitive sibling. I’m sure you know nothing about that,” she teases.

“Nope, nothing at all, actually. Wing and Wei were always too busy trying to outdo each other, Huan was constantly in his own artistic bubble and Bataar was too busy hanging around with Dad,” Opal replies. “I’m sure it would have been different if I’d been an earthbender, though.”

Jinora ponders that. “I can’t imagine what it would have been like to grow up without my bending. It’s just always been there, like the air.”

Opal hums. “Funnily enough, I never thought about the air before I became an airbender. But even now I take it for granted most of the time, no different than the rest of us.” Jinora almost opens her mouth to begin the Dad-approved lecture about gratitude for their element, but she doesn’t. Instead she stays silent and they watch the air ball game for a while. Jinora has been friends with Opal for years, now, so the silence isn’t awkward at all. It’s as natural as anything else, and it feels right that Jinora can close her eyes, lie back on the grass and not worry about anything for a little while.

Eventually, after the next game has begun, Opal taps her shoulder. “You awake?”

She opens one eye. “Yeah. You okay?”

Opal nods at her, and then looks back out at the field. “Yeah. I was just wondering something. How close is Ikki to getting her tattoos?”

It’s a serious enough question that Jinora sits up. “Not far, actually. Two years, maybe less. She’s just started on the thirty-fifth tier. If we’re here for that long she’ll have just as much say as I do in running the Eastern Air Temple, technically. A proper council, just like it used to be.”

“The Air Nomads used to be governed by the Council of Elders, right? Do you think the Air Nation will try to go back to that?” Opal asks.

“We might. It’s not the worst system, really. I’m sure it’s better than just my dad leading everything. I know it’s been a big weight on his shoulders.” Jinora sighs. “He’s also not as young as he used to be. We’re not going to rush into anointing new masters or anything, but I think he’ll be relieved when it’s no longer just us. Spreading the responsibility of preserving our culture will make it easier for everyone.”

Opal nudges Jinora with her elbow. “And what about you? How are you holding up with running the temple? I know you’re always brushing everyone’s concerns off, but we know it’s not an easy job. You’re doing really well, though.”

Jinora snorts. “Am I, though? I’m certainly trying. No one has gotten hurt yet, at least. But it’s only been a month.”

“Jinora.” Opal says, and her tone is so serious that Jinora looks at her. Her expression is kind and encouraging, though, her lips turned up in an easy smile. “You’re a great leader. The temple is thriving. Don’t worry more than you need to, okay? We’re all here for you.”

“Thank you, Opal.” Jinora returns her smile, and it’s a comfort to be able to lean into her for a hug and feel Opal’s arm wrap around her shoulder.

\---

“Korra, when did you first know you had feelings for Asami?”

Korra and Asami have been at the temple for two weeks, deciding to kill a little vacation time (with Jinora’s permission, of course. She has an inkling that her dad put them up to it, but who is she to argue with two of the most powerful women in the world?) Today Jinora and Korra are at the flying bison stables caring for some of the newborns. Naga naps in the middle of the floor, several of the calves curled up against her because for some odd reason the mothers don’t perceive her as a threat.

At Jinora’s question, Korra stopped brushing the calf in front of her and brings her hand to her chin. “That’s a hard question. I know now that I loved her long before I consciously realized it, back when we were searching for the new airbenders, even. But it wasn’t until I was home in the south recovering that I considered how I felt about her, and it wasn’t until I came back to Republic City that I knew for sure.”

That wasn’t enough. “Well, what made you _realize_ you had feelings for her?” Jinora asks, perhaps a little too eagerly.

Korra raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t push her. “Well, it was how I feel when I’m around her. Asami is my sunshine. When I went home to my parents and realized that my life was dark without her around, I knew that she meant more to me than nearly anyone else in the world. To this day I feel happier, even stronger when she’s around.” She pauses, and smiles crookedly. “Does that help you at all?”

Jinora quickly shakes her head. “Oh no, no, I was just curious, is all. Thank you for sharing. Will you mind helping me bring some new hay up here? We can take Pepper down to get it.” As she turns to put away the brushes she can feel Korra watching her, but Korra says nothing.

\---

Korra may have let the subject drop, but Jinora isn’t really that surprised when Asami finds her after dinner and asks if they can speak alone.

“Korra told me that you asked her a few questions earlier. I was wondering if you wanted to talk?” Asami asks, and she’s just so nice about it that Jinora can’t convince herself to lie to her.

Still, she doesn’t want to divulge _everything._ “I wouldn’t mind talking,” she shrugs. “I was just about to go back to the study. You could come along, if you want.” Asami agrees, and she guides her out of the dining hall and toward her study.

Well. Jinora still can’t quite call it _her_ study even though it really is hers now. She can remember her dad using the room, after all, during the few trips they’d taken here over the years. The room is simply furnished, with a desk, some chairs, and a rather large bookshelf. The books are the only thing that really feel like they’re hers, because most of them came along with her from Air Temple Island. Where, now that she’s thinking about it, she misses being. Even when she was away from her family on extended trips in the past, the island was still her home. It’s strange, not being there. She can only imagine how Ikki feels, being even younger and living so far away from the place where they grew up.

Jinora still wonders why Ikki was so insistent on coming along with her to the Eastern Air Temple, but she hasn’t yet gotten an answer out of her on the subject.

The window is open when they reach the study and Jinora can smell the night air, grass and rain and soil. Once she and Asami have settled in the chairs in front of the desk, Jinora sighs. “So I wanted to know how Korra first knew that she had feelings for you,” she begins, “But I don’t think her answer helped me too much. Not to her discredit, of course. It’s just…”

“Your experience doesn’t match hers?” Asami supplies, and Jinora nods. “Well, I can tell you how I knew. For me it was simple. I began to love Korra not too long after she and Mako broke up.”

Jinora bit her lip. “Okay. How did your feelings begin to change?”

Asami shrugged one shoulder. “Well, I considered her a good friend, of course, and had for a while. As we spent more time together without Mako in the way, I began to notice my feelings toward her becoming less friendly and more… romantic. And, unlike Korra, I recognized that this was happening. I knew I was head over heels for her by the time we were all fighting against the Red Lotus, and then I lost my chance to tell her. It all worked out in the end, thankfully. But it’s still difficult to explain how I felt during those three years she was gone. You remember how I used to come over to the Air Temple for dinner, don’t you?”

“Yeah, of course. You came at least once a month, and more when you were designing the wingsuits. It was nice, but you always seemed… tired. Like you were mostly going through the motions.”

“You’re not too far off, there. It wasn’t a happy time in my life, that’s for sure. Visiting you guys was one of the few times I allowed myself to relax. I was mostly burying myself in my work while doing my best to ignore my feelings for Korra. Not a good combination.” She adds pointedly, and Jinora blinks at her. “So who’s the lucky person?” Asami asks, gently.

Jinora glances down at her hands. “I’d rather not say. My feelings aren’t reciprocated, so there’s no point in worrying about it. I just wanted to be sure that I knew what I was feeling.” Glancing up again, she smiles bitterly. “It doesn’t matter, anyway.”

Asami leans forward and puts her hand on Jinora’s knee. “Jinora, don’t you dare believe that for a second.” Jinora flinches, and Asami gives her a curious look, but she continues, “Your feelings always matter, Jinora, whether they’re reciprocated or not. And even if she doesn’t love you back you should still do your best to feel them, you know. Bottling it all up isn’t healthy.”

It’s not until she’s thanked Asami and is alone again when Jinora realizes that Asami had said _she._ But it’s too late to refute her now, so she stares out the window at the twinkling stars and tries to stomach what she’s learned.

\---

Jinora and Opal are seated on the floor of a long, airy hall in the temple, pale moonlight streaming in through the tall windows, about to begin what Jinora is calling in her head one of their ‘late night anger meditation sessions.’ A perk of residing permanently at the Eastern Air Temple is that, as the most spiritual of the Air Temples, it has countless great places to meditate. She tells that to Opal, who rolls her eyes and calls Jinora an airbender dork, of all things.

Their dynamic always changes when they meditate. It’s easier than it should be for Jinora to slip into her role as Opal’s airbending master. “We’re going to start as we usually do,” she tells Opal as they close their eyes. “In several minutes. For now, just focus on being present.”

_Kai stood there, hands balled into fists, and Jinora was angry because he wouldn’t look at her. “Just look at me!” she shouted, “and tell me **why**. You can’t do that? You can’t look me in the eye and say aloud that the reason you’ve been avoiding me for all these months is because you’ve been seeing **someone else**?!”_

“One of the hardest things to face when working through your anger is where to lay blame. Too often do we blame everything on the other party, convincing ourselves that we’re innocent. While that can be true, sometimes we have to accept that the blame is often shared. A wise person recognizes that no one person is ever responsible for everything. Understanding who is to blame is the first step toward moving past one’s anger, because it allows us to analyze what has happened, and move on.”

_“Yeah, I have been seeing Tashi,” Kai finally answered, “Because you’ve been so distant. You put nothing into this relationship! All you care about is being a good airbending master, and it’s gotten to the point that you hardly care about us. You don’t. You care about my bending, but that’s about it, and don’t you dare tell me that I’m wrong.”_

\---

“Ikki,” Jinora calls out the door. She can hear her sister laughing, which means she must be near. “Mom is on the telephone. She wants to talk to you!”

One of Jinora’s favorite renovations to the temple is the addition of a telephone. When the former Earth Kingdom was rebuilt longer telephone lines had been installed along the train rails, and now she’s able to talk to her parents _all the way in Republic City._ It’s expensive, of course, so they usually reserve long distance calls for emergencies, but today is apparently an exception. Her mother justifies the expense by saying she hasn’t heard her daughters’ voices in over a month, but they still can’t just wait for Ikki to come whenever.

“Coming!” Ikki shouts, and a few seconds later she lands in front of Jinora. “I was on the roofs playing hide and seek with Blueberry,” she chirps happily.

Jinora just stares at her. “Wonderful,” she deadpans. “Now go talk to Mom, and remember that long distance calls cost money, so you’ll only be able to talk for a few minutes.”

Ikki nods quickly and rushes past her back into the temple. “Got it!” she calls, and Jinora can only bury her face in her hands, praying for a single, brief moment of peace. She has a headache, and she is so, so tired.

The moment passes quickly, because as soon as Jinora opens her eyes she sees several nuns running toward her. “Master Jinora, you’re needed in the south temple dormitories. Satori has just gone into labor.”

“Of course she has,” Jinora mutters under her breath, but she begins to walk briskly to the women’s dormitories. Her people need her, after all. Rest can always wait.

\---

Satori undergoes labor for nine hours, and Jinora thinks that she might be just as tired as the woman. The end result, however, is very pleasant- an adorable baby girl. Little Tue is born just past midnight, and Jinora can sense that the baby will probably be an airbender, nevermind the season. Tue is not the first baby born to the new Air Nation, but she’s still among the first few. Jinora is proud to hold the newborn before passing her off to her father, and then, once she’s sure that the little family is in capable hands, she’s finally free to head back to her own bed.

As it is nearly one in the morning, Jinora is incredibly surprised to find Opal sitting outside as she walks across one of the many courtyards. “Opal, what are you doing awake?” Jinora asks, and she’s not even bothered by how monotonous she sounds, or by how her eyelids are drooping.

“I wasn’t tired,” Opal answers simply, “But you sure seem to be. Jinora, are you all right?”

Jinora waves her off. “I’m fine. Satori and her daughter are fine, too. I think that little Tue might be an airbender someday.”

Opal looks as if she couldn’t care less. “That’s wonderful,” she says without really meaning it, “Now come on. Let’s get you to bed.” She stands and takes Jinora by the arm, who is tired enough that she doesn’t think anything of it. “How long have you been awake? Sixteen hours?”

“Nineteen hours.” Jinora yawns. Opal makes a _tsk_ ing noise beside her.

“Well then, you need at least nine hours of sleep. Don’t you _dare_ get out of bed before ten, do you hear me?” Her words startle Jinora a little, but Opal doesn’t notice. “My goodness, Jinora. I understand that this came out of nowhere, but you must have already been exhausted.”

Somewhere between the doorway to her dormitory and her bedroom Jinora loses track of what Opal is saying. She finally snaps back into focus when she realizes she’s in her own bedroom. “Thank you for walking me here,” she tells Opal weakly.

Opal smiles at her softly. “Of course, Jinora. Now get changed and go to sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow at _lunch,_ alright?” Jinora hums affirmatively, and then Opal is gone. Jinora changes into her nightclothes, and finally, finally falls into bed. She’s asleep almost immediately.

\---

_“Come visit Ba Sing Se with me. It’s where I grew up, and now that the city is stable again I want to visit.”_

_“I can’t, I’m needed here, you know that. Dad put me in charge of the upper tier airbending lessons.”_

_“And Ikki can’t take over for three days? It’s called a vacation, Jinora, not a permanent relocation. Taking time off isn’t the same thing as abandoning your duties. Come on, please?”_

_Jinora shook her head and turned back to the dishes. “I just can’t, Kai, I would let everyone down. I’m sorry.”_

\---

Jinora wakes up with a terrible headache and a dry throat, but there’s a glass of water on the table that she’s sure hadn’t been there the night before. Nevertheless, she drinks the whole thing before dressing and heading toward the kitchen for a late breakfast.

Of all the people in the temple, it’s Satori who she runs into first. “I’m surprised to see you up, Satori,” Jinora says wryly when the woman comes into the kitchen.

Satori smiles bashfully at her. “The acolytes told me to stay put, but I needed to stretch my legs. I’m just here for a snack. Tue is with Chen.” She opens a cupboard and pulls out an apple, before turning to settle at the small table across from Jinora. “Thank you again for everything you did last night. You didn’t have to stay there the entire time, you know.”

Jinora just shrugs. “Perhaps not, but I wanted to. It was an honor to be present at your daughter’s birth. I’m glad I was able to help.”

“Jinora, _there_ you are!” Ikki practically flies into the kitchen. Her energy makes Jinora want to sleep again. “You’re alive! I told the airbenders that training is canceled for the day, because you really need to rest. And don’t even bother trying to take that decision back because you know it’ll crush everyone. Besides, most of them are playing with- no, _taking care of_ the bison calves. Oh, hello Satori!” Ikki smiles wide, and Satori nods at her. “I heard that your baby is healthy, and I’m glad. I asked my mom yesterday to mail some of Rohan’s old things. They’ll probably arrive within a week or two.”

“Why thank you, Ikki.” Satori’s smile is grateful, and she reaches out an arm for a hug, which Ikki instantly reciprocates. “You tell her that I’m very thankful. Would you like to go and meet Tue?”

Ikki clasps her hands. “Oh, absolutely! I’ll see you around, Jinora. Take it easy today, okay? That’s an order. Find Opal or something, I think she’s in the library. Goodbye!” She talks until both she and Satori are out of the room, and then Jinora is alone again. But, if Opal is where she’s supposed to be, she won’t be for long.

\---

Several hours later, Jinora is lounging on of the couches in the library, staring at the ceiling and talking to Opal, who’s seated on the floor by her. “I never did tell you just how impressive your bending was,” she notes. “Down in the clearing, I mean. It was all wrong because it came from a dark place, but that was some of the most powerful bending I’ve seen from you. Not that I didn’t know you had it in you, but…”

Opal gives her a grateful look. “I know what you mean. Maybe someday I’ll learn how to make my airbending that powerful while I’m calm. Maybe by then I’ll be close to getting my tattoos.”

Jinora sits up and observes the other girl carefully. “You know, you’re really not that far off. It’ll be a few more years, of course, but if your airbending that night was any indication, you’ll be a powerful master someday.”

Surprise colors her features, but it’s a good look on Opal. She smiles at Jinora. “Thank you, Jinora. But if I’m ever even half the airbender that you are, I’d be happy.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a really talented airbender, and besides, that’s not what’s important.” Jinora reaches forward and squeezes Jinora’s shoulder. “You’re an amazing friend, Opal. Thank you for that.”

Opal’s eyes crinkle when she smiles back at her. “You’re welcome, Jinora. That’s what best friends do, isn’t it? I wouldn’t abandon you for the world.”

\---

“I’ll miss you guys,” Jinora murmurs, hugging Korra. It’s finally time for her and Asami to go back to Republic City, seeing how Asami needs to run her company and Korra has Avatar duties to see to. “You should come back in the autumn for our birthdays. I’ll throw a party for you guys.”

“I think it’ll be more of a party for you and Ikki,” Korra teases, grinning. “We can probably do that. We’ll miss you all too.”

Asami walks down the ramp of her airship, her heels click-clacking on the metal. “Everything’s set. Thank you for hosting us, Jinora. We’ll be back in a few months to visit.”

“You’re welcome, Asami.” Jinora smiles, and after another round of hugs, they go.

“Bye, Korra! Bye, Asami!” calls Ikki, and Korra waves until the door closes. Jinora finds herself yawning, and Ikki turns to her and frowns. “Are you tired, Jinora? You should take a nap. I could run training today if you need to take a break for a while.”

Jinora tries to deflect Ikki’s concern. “I’m fine, Ikki. Besides, don’t you need to work on the thirty-fifth tier? You’re been doing really well lately. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your own training.”

“Exactly, I’m practically ahead of where I need to be. Come on, Jinora. You know that I’ll be fine. Please? Pretty please?” Ikki clasps her hands and jumps on her tiptoes, and Jinora is honestly too exhausted to argue with her.

“Fine, okay. You can train today. I can use to extra time check on a few things, anyway.” Jinora immediately starts walking toward the bison stables, already organizing in her head what extra chores she can fit into her schedule now that she has a few spare hours.

“That wasn’t what I meant by a break!” Ikki calls behind her, but Jinora ignores her and keeps going.

\---

It’s past midnight, and she wanders the temple until she reaches a large room of stone. Once inside, she steps forward slowly, only stopping when she’s feet away from the figure in front of her.

Jinora stands at the base of the tallest statue of Avatar Yangchen, and she stares up at the visage of a woman far more powerful, far better known, than she’ll ever be. “How did you do it?” Jinora asks in a whisper. She falls to her knees, wincing as bits of gravel dig into her robes. “How did you balance it? And how did people know to trust you?”

In reality, though, she thinks she knows. For as long as she can remember, Korra’s very being has glimmered with the promise of a better future, of goodness and compassion and truth. Jinora imagines that it was never very hard, to choose to follow the Avatar.

\---

_“You can trust me, Dad.” Jinora assured him, sitting across from him in the study at Air Temple Island. “I’m fine now. Besides, won’t the change of scenery do me some good?”_

_Tenzin still looked worried, and he stroked the grey in his beard as he considered it. “I trust you completely, Jinora, and I urge you never to doubt that. I just want to be sure that you will be alright on your own.”_

_Jinora smiled at him. “I will be, I promise. Let me go to the Eastern Air Temple. I promise that I won’t let you down.”_

\---

Looking at Opal has begun to hurt, and Jinora doesn’t know what to do but push it away. She figures that Asami was wrong, that it’s better to ignore this kind of pain. Fire can’t burn without air, so she chokes the aching in the soil of her mind, and buries it away.

\---

“When you’ve analyzed your anger and understood why you felt it, it’s time to let it go. Letting it go is not the same is forgetting it, or ignoring it. It’s important to remember the lessons learned from our anger, to remember the hurt or wrongdoing that we’ve experienced so that we can work to avoid it in the future. To let go of your anger is to let the wind take it away from you, and to allow yourself to heal afterwards. All of this is done in order to bring balance to our lives, so that we can serve ourselves and those we care about to the best of our ability.”

She no longer really regards the words she’s saying, not like she used to, but she continues for Opal. All Jinora wants to do is help her, and maybe then she can go back and work on her own feelings.

Once they finish the meditation, Jinora opens her eyes to see that the small sliver of moon has already dipped low near the horizon. “It’s later than usual,” she notes, surprised.

Opal just watches Jinora, her green eyes sparkling in the dim light. “I’m no longer angry at Bolin,” she says.

Jinora turns to her. “I’m glad. That’s good. Did the meditations help?” Opal nods, and Jinora smiles tiredly. “That’s good. We can stop doing these, if you don’t feel you need them anymore.”

Opal nods again, before looking down at her lap. She bites her lip silently. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

A moment passes, and Jinora raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re okay, Opal? You don’t seem… better. You don’t look any better than when we began this.”

“Neither do you,” Opal points out, and Jinora doesn’t know what to say to that. “I’m a little sad, is all. It’s nothing you should worry about, though, Jinora. I’ll be fine. It doesn’t matter.” She squeezes Jinora on the shoulder before she walks away, but Jinora can’t escape the feeling that she’s failed, somehow.

\---

_“You’ve been… dating her?” Jinora swallows back her tears. Kai just nods, and it hurts even more that he doesn’t even seem to care that he’s hurt her._

_She barely knew this Tashi, an airbender she could remember meeting in the Earth Kingdom who hadn’t wanted to go with them because it would have meant leaving her family. But now this girl had Kai, and Jinora didn’t. And she couldn’t decide who was to blame. She didn’t know anymore. Jinora had thought that she knew everything there was to know about him, but in the end she had known nothing at all._

\---

“Ikki told us that you’re overworking yourself, Jinora. Is that true?” Dad asks through the telephone, and Jinora can only close her eyes and lean her forehead against the table.

She clears her throat. “I’m fine, Dad. I’m a little tired, but it’s less because of my duties and more because I’ve been having trouble sleeping.” Was that a lie? She didn’t even know anymore. “Could you have Mom mail the recipe for that tea she used to give us at bedtime? Perhaps it might help.”

“I’m worried, Jinora.”

“You don’t have to be. The temple is doing great. Satori’s baby is healthy, and everyone’s training is coming along really well. Did Ikki tell you how she’s doing with the tier? The dormitories’ ceilings were repaired, and all of the bison calves are healthy, too. Even Abbess Jun mentioned that everything is running well. I’m good at this, I’m fine.”

“It’s not the temple I’m worried about, or the airbenders, or the bison calves. It’s _you._ I already knew about all of those other things from Ikki’s letters. She’s worried about you. You could visit home for a few weeks if you needed to, you know.”

Jinora snaps, “ _No._ I am fine, Dad. I am perfectly fine. Ask Mom to send the tea, please. I really need to go, though. The calves need fed.” A lie, this time she knew for sure. “I love you. Send Mom and Meelo and Rohan my love, too, please.”

“I love you too, Jinora. Please take care of yourself-” She feels a little bad about hanging up, but not too bad. She is _fine._ He just has to believe her. He just has to believe in her.

\---

Jinora does not know what day of the week it is, but it’s nighttime and she can’t sleep. After several hours of tossing and turning, she gives in to her insomnia and gets up. She doesn’t even change into her dayclothes before she grabs her glider, closes her bedroom door behind her, and goes. As soon as she’s in the first courtyard she snaps open the glider and uses it to help her run past silent buildings of wood and stone. She runs and runs until she’s at the edge where the cliff gives way to the ground and – fwoop – she’s in the air.

In the back of her mind Jinora knows that she shouldn’t be descending at this sharp of an angle, but it’s late and she’s tired and she doesn’t really care, honestly. She doesn’t have all of the time in the world, anymore. A lesser airbender couldn’t do this, but Jinora is a granddaughter of Aang and a master airbender at that, so she doesn’t crash into the trees. Once her feet touch the ground she’s running again, jumping over logs and rocks and tree roots until she reaches the clearing, _that_ clearing, the one where she’d seen Opal on the night of the blood moon.

Jinora tosses down the glider so forcefully that she faintly registers the sound of a hollow crack. Her focus, instead, is on the air around her. It’s _everywhere,_ and she can use it, and isn’t that beautiful and wonderful? It’s amazing, she thinks, as steps into the middle of the grass and lifts her arms to bend.

It begins slowly, at first. Only a routine cycling through the forms, like she does when she trains. After a while, however, she finds it’s not enough to forget the memories swirling in the back of her mind like a hurricane.

 _“But I love you,” she cried. “I tried my hardest, I promise. It’s not easy to balance everything, but I was trying. For **you**_ **.** _”_

She needs more, so she bends the air around her as if it’s an extension of her very being. When she’s bending like this, Jinora becomes big. Her arms span the length of the clearing; she can feel the branches of the trees snapping in half, can feel the water being diverted from the falls, can feel rocks and chunks of earth sliding down the side of the mountain.

It’s freeing. This is freedom, she thinks, this is what her ancestors were seeking. Freedom from their troubles, their problems. Jinora has many troubles and problems, too many too count, but they don’t matter as long as she keeps – moving – the air – around her.

_“This is all your fault! It’s your fault, Jinora, because you are **bad** at caring for other people! You wouldn’t fly across Republic City for me if I was dying during one of your important lessons. I don’t know how you think that you’re a good airbending master when all you see are airbenders, not **people**. You’re not a good master at all.”_

A funnel, Jinora thinks. And so she does it. She’s a master airbender, so she might as well bend like one. The ground hurts as she paces in the necessary circles to complete the form, but she ignores the waves of pain that travel up her legs as she walks.

It’s stunning. It’s amazing. She has never bended like this before, never in her life. The moon isn’t quite full, but it still casts enough light to illuminate everything around her. From the leaves in the air to the dirt being swept up by her wind, she can feel all of it, and it’s absolutely incredible.

More steps. More circles. Left foot and then right foot and then left, over and over and over. Never-ending. But then she begins bending with her feet, and soon there’s no ground beneath her at all. She closes her eyes, and trusts the wind to guide her senses.

_“Why wasn’t I **enough** for you?”_

_“All you ever did was read or meditate or train! You never did anything else, you hardly ever looked my way!”_

_“Well I don’t only belong to you, you know! I **love** doing those things!”_

_“Yeah, because you can do them without having to really care about anyone else. It’s all about you, Jinora, and furthering your own interest in being the best airbender alive! You’re **selfish**!”_

\---

“ _JINORA!_ ” calls a voice, but Jinora can hardly hear her. Can hardly hear – Opal. “Jinora, please, STOP!” Opal shouts again, and this time Jinora listens.

The way her body hits the ground would hurt far more if Opal didn’t bend a cushion for her to land on, and in seconds Jinora blinks and sees Opal above her. “Jinora,” she exclaims, relieved and worried and frantic, and then there are warm arms around her and a wetness on her face. It takes Jinora a few moments to realize that she’s crying. Her head hurts, and she tries to combat the pain by pressing her forehead into Opal’s shoulder.

“He told me that it was my fault,” Jinora cries, “That I was selfish and heartless and an awful leader and I _believed_ him.” Her voice cracks, “I tried not to but I _did_ , Opal.”

“I know,” Opal assures her, and she holds Jinora closer. “I know. You’re none of those things. It’s okay.” She tightens her hold as Jinora sobs, and strokes her face. “I promise, Jinora, it’s going to be okay.”

\---

Opal stays with her until Jinora can’t cry any more, until she sits up on her own and finally looks past Opal’s worried gaze to see the damage she’s caused to the clearing. More than a dozen trees are snapped or fallen and twice that many have minor, but still noticeable, damage. Even worse, chunks of rock on the cliffs along the waterfalls are gone, and Jinora’s eyes trace where the water now flows along entirely different paths.

“Oh no,” she whispers, because her throat is dry and, spirits, it hurts. Everything hurts, from her limbs and her chest to the raging headache that she can barely think through. Her chi must be absolutely _devastated._ “I hurt the clearing. The spirits, they must hate me, I ruined this whole area-”

Opal shakes her head. “They don’t all hate you, see? This one hasn’t left since I got here.” She points, up above them both, and the same dragonfly bunny spirit that had been with her on the night of the blood moon hovers there. “Can you go get Ikki?” Opal asks it, and the spirit disappears from sight.

Dread washes over Jinora. “They’ll know. They’ll all know. They can’t know, Opal, they can’t know,” She croaks, and the tears start welling up again.

Opal shakes her head quickly. “No, no, they don’t have to. But Ikki does. I can’t get you back by myself, and your glider is broken.” She winces as she says it, and Jinora swallows hard. “We don’t have to tell everyone everything about what happened, but. Jinora. Let us take care of you. It’s okay,” she assures her again, but her voice cracks.

“I’m so sorry,” Jinora sniffles, and the last thing she sees before blacking out is Opal giving her a watery smile.

\---

She wakes up in her own bed, surrounded by Opal, Ikki, and her aunt Kya.

“Spirits,” she grumbles, and she can’t bring herself to look anyone in the eye except for Opal, who is holding her hand, she notices. Her head still hurts and her mouth is dry, but she thinks that she’s okay. “Kya, when did you get here?”

“A few hours ago. I ran a check-up when you were asleep. You’re going to be fine,” Kya tells her, “You’re just worn out, physically and I’m guessing emotionally, too. It’s nothing you won’t recover from quickly. But you need to take it easy, Jinora. I forbid you from trying to do anything even remotely related to running this temple for at least two, maybe three weeks.”

“Absolutely not. I can’t abandon the temple. The airbenders here need me, Kya.” Jinora protests, but she turns her head when Opal squeezes her hand.

“Jinora. Listen to us,” She says slowly. “The temple will _not_ crumble without you. Trust us. It hurts us more to see you like this.” Her eyes plead with Jinora, and eventually Jinora huffs and looks away.

“Fine. Just, tell me… who knows?” she asks, staring at the wall.

She hears Ikki takes a deep breath. “Everyone here just thinks you’re sick from overworking yourself,” she begins, her voice sheepish, “But Aunt Kya called Dad. Sorry.”

It’s all over. “I would like to sleep some more,” she says, and she turns to face the wall and closes her eyes.

\---

It’s nighttime when she wakes up again, and she’s surprised to see her dad sitting beside her, awake. “How did you get here so quickly?” she asks, a little panicked.

He just smiles softly at her and squeezes her arm. “I left on Oogi the minute Aunt Kya called, honey. Your mother is here, too.”

Jinora just stares at first. “Are you mad?” She asks, quietly.

Tenzin’s eyes widen, and he leans closer to her and brushes her hair from her forehead. “Of course not, darling. I’m just glad you’re safe, and uninjured. Go to sleep. We can talk tomorrow, okay?” Jinora sniffles, and nods. Then she closes her eyes, and soon falls asleep.

\---

Jinora awakens in the morning to an empty room, finally, so she stands up and stretches. Her muscles feel sore, and her chi feels nearly depleted when she calls for the air around her, but all in all it could be worse. Physically, at least. By the time her mom walks in, she’s changed into a different set of clothes and is meditating on her bed. “Oh, sweetie,” Pema says, and then they hug. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m… alright. Where’s Dad?” Jinora asks when they pull away.

“He’s in the dining hall with everyone else, eating breakfast. Do you want me to bring you some food?”

“Yes, please.” Jinora says. Her mom walks out the door, and she goes back to meditating.

She’s surprised, ten or so minutes later, when the person who returns with a tray piled with rice and fruit isn’t her mom, but Opal.

“Hi,” Opal greets her, a little hesitantly. Jinora just sighs.

“Hi, Opal.” She replies, and shifts to make room for her on the bed. “No offense, but you look nothing like my mom.”

Opal snorts. “None taken. I stopped her and asked if I could come talk to you. I also asked her to give us a little while. I’m sure you’re tired of being surrounded by everyone. It’s suffocating, I know.”

Jinora nods, and picks up a piece of fruit from the tray and takes a bite. She and Opal settle on the bed, facing each other.

The silence between them is comfortable, but that’s hardly surprising anymore. “Did you follow me down there?” Jinora asks, hardly a mumble.

“I did. I heard someone in the hall and I thought it might be you, so I got dressed and followed. It took me longer, though,” Opal admits. “I’m not quite as fast as you, even on a slow day.”

“How much did you see?” She can’t look at her for this, so Jinora stares down at her blackberries.

Opal hesitates. “There was a path through the trees,” she begins, “Where you ran. The trees were stripped of their leaves, branches broken. And then your bending… well, it looked like a small tornado. It was kind of terrifying. It was hard to get close enough for you to hear me calling you.” Jinora glances up, and she notices for the first time a few small cuts across Opal’s face, almost invisible, but still there.

It feels like all of the air in her lungs is gone. “I’m so sorry,” Jinora repeats, reaching toward Opal’s face. Her hand drops before her fingers touch Opal’s skin, though. “I’m not… I don’t know. I never meant to drag you into this. You don’t deserve to have to pick up all of my broken pieces.”

She swallows when Opal reaches for her hand, and holds it tightly. “What did I tell you before, Jinora? I meant it when I said that I’ll never abandon you.” Her lips turn up in a smile, a genuine smile, and it’s so kind that it truly, physically hurts her.

Jinora’s eyes are welling up, but she speaks anyway. “Why? Why won’t you? He… Kai… did. He didn’t like those parts of me, so why do you?”

The look on Opal’s face could bring the Earth Queen to tears. Her green eyes sparkle with tears, and her lip wobbles just a bit as she answers her, “Oh, Jinora. I couldn’t dislike you, even a piece of you, if I tried. You are amazing, and strong, and selfless. Spirits, you’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met. The world’s not only made up of people to break your heart, you know.” She adds, just as Jinora hiccups. Opal squeezes her hand. “You’re going to be just fine, Jinora. I’ll be right here. You’re not going to do everything alone anymore, I promise.”

\---

Talking to her dad is a harder ordeal to get through. “You may keep your leadership position… but only if you ease up on your duties some. Delegate to Ikki, to anyone. The Air Nation is a community, Jinora. We’re all here to support one another.”

“Not all of us,” Jinora says quietly, and Tenzin just stares at her, sad and shocked, she imagines, before sighing deeply.

“No person is perfect… and no, that doesn’t excuse the way he treated you. But sometimes even our own can hurt us. You’ll heal, sweetie, and someday it won’t hurt quite as much to look at him.”

Jinora bites her lip and frowns. “But how do you know that for sure?”

To her shock, her dad actually _chuckles._ “You don’t think that hurtful things were said when Lin and I broke up? They were different circumstances, I know, but I still hated her for years afterward. It gets better, darling. You just have to keep going.”

\---

Everyone is so _nice,_ and she doesn’t know how to handle it at first. She doesn’t think she deserves it. No one is mad at her for what she did, for not being able to take care of the temple like she had been before. Jinora knows it’s her fault she fell apart the way she did, that she pushed herself too far. Everyone should be _angry_ at her, but they’re not. It baffles her, the kindness that follows her wherever she goes. Jinora feels broken and disjointed, like everything she’s ever tried not to be, but no one treats her like she’s a mistake.

It’s frustrating but comforting, too, as she begins to gain her footing again. It still takes days before she even feels a little bit like herself, but it’s a start, she thinks.

\---

With more free time in her schedule, Jinora allots hours in her day for meditation, for tea in the garden, for watching Tue as her parents train. Jinora’s own parents have to go back to Republic City not long after they arrive, but Ikki promises to take on some of Jinora’s duties. Jinora finally understands why Ikki wanted to come along to the Eastern Air Temple in the first place. She’s never been more grateful for her, the girl who uprooted her life for the sake of ensuring that her older sister was going to be okay.

It takes two weeks for Jinora to convince Opal to accompany her back to the clearing so she can perform a spiritual cleansing ceremony. They take Pepper and the ride down is slower, calmer. The sun shines down on them brightly, and Jinora sweats in the summer heat. She can’t quite remember where spring went, but she’s glad it’s gone.

Opal sits atop Pepper’s head as Jinora bends the smoke from a stick of incense around the clearing, murmuring ancient chants under her breath. The change isn’t visible, exactly, but Jinora can sense it in her bones. “I’m sorry I hurt you, and me,” she whispers to the earth, and the trees, and the water. The air is kind to her, summer breezes that brush against her skin. “I promise to do better next time.”

They meditate afterwards, sitting and facing each other with held hands, and Jinora has never felt more love for the world.

\---

“She’s asleep,” Jinora whispers when Ikki steps into the kitchen. Tue is strapped to her back, and Jinora is making dumplings for the pure pleasure of it. “How was training today?”

Ikki pours herself a cup of tea and perches on the edge of the table. “Hot, but it was fine. Otaku might actually be learning to slow down. Chen finally mastered the air slice. It was a good day, I think.”

“Excellent. I suppose that means Satori will be by soon. That’s just as well, since I promised Abbess Jun I would meet with her later to discuss a few things. After that I was going to meditate with Opal, maybe.” Ikki gives her a dry look, and Jinora narrows her gaze at her. “What are you thinking, Ikki?”

Her sister shrugs nonchalantly at her. “I just think that you need to do something about the Opal situation. I see the way you look at her. You should tell her.”

Jinora almost drops the egg she’s about to crack in the pan. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says stiffly.

“Oh, don’t bother hiding it. I see everything that happens around here. For the record, she’s pretty mopey when you’re not around, and then the minute you arrive she’s smiling as wide as the Si Wong desert. Neither of you are fooling me.”

With a sigh, Jinora turns to her sister. “There’s nothing there, Ikki. You can trust me to know if there was. Opal is my best friend, and that’s all.”

Ikki brings a hand to her mouth. “I thought _I_ was your best friend!” she whispers loudly, and Jinora has to fight not to roll her eyes.

“You’re my _other_ best friend. Now, can you grab the garlic from the cupboard? Luli mentioned this morning that she’s been craving it, so I want to be sure I add some for her.”

“Cravings, huh? She mentioned last week that she couldn’t _stand_ the smell of pickled beets, even though she used to love them. Think we might get another baby airbender? Luli would be a great mom, I think. Don’t you agree?” Ikki pauses, and when she speaks again her voice is quieter. “Isn’t it wonderful, not being the only airbenders in the world anymore?”

Jinora turns and smiles at her sister. “It really is.” Despite everything that’s happened, she wouldn’t change that for anything.

\---

Asami sends her a few new novels in the mail, and Jinora grins when she opens them. Slipped inside the first cover is a brief note.

_Thought you might enjoy these; make sure you take some time off to read them. Heard from your dad that you’ve been doing better, and we’re glad. You’re a brilliant leader, Jinora, and a remarkable young woman. Just remember to weigh your own well-being against all of the pressure put on you from the world. There’s a balance to be found there, I promise, but when you have to choose, choose yourself. You’re far too important to lose, you know._

_Over the years I’ve learned an important piece of advice; when you’re doing the **things that make you happy** alongside the **people that make you the happiest** , stress is far easier to handle. Picking between the two will only hurt you, as I’m sure you’ve realized. So stop trying to do everything on your own, and maybe just let everything take care of itself for a little while. In the end, you’ll probably find yourself exactly where you want to be.  _

_– Asami_

_PS: Korra promises that we’re going to visit again soon, though I’m not quite sure when that will be. She’s not very good at consulting my calendar when she makes these kinds of plans, as you might imagine. But we’ll make it work, just like we always do. We love you, Jinora. Take care._

\---

Dusk has just fallen and the crickets are chirping outside when Jinora knocks on Opal’s door. “Come in,” comes Opal’s muffled voice, and Jinora steps in.

Opal looks up from the book in her hands and smiles brightly at Jinora. “Hey, Jinora. What’s up?”

“I came here to ask if you would follow me somewhere. I wanted to talk,” Jinora says, biting the inside of her cheek.

“I’d love to,” Opal replies, and she sets the book on the bed. “Where to?”

Jinora takes Opal’s hand and guides her out of the room. “Nowhere special,” she says. They walk quietly out of the dormitories, and Jinora leads them toward the garden. “So I was wondering when the last time you visited Zaofu was,” she says, glancing at Opal.

Opal thinks for a moment. “I was there last winter for dad’s birthday. Why do you ask?”

“Oh, I wouldn’t mind visiting, and I’m sure I could do with a vacation. We could fly there for a few days, if you wanted to. Ikki would probably come along, too, since she gets along with Huan well enough. It’d be relaxing,” she adds casually. “What do you think?”

Opal grins at her. “I’d love to visit mom and dad. Of course I’ll go.” Jinora smiles back, and then they’re at Jinora’s planned destination. It’s one of her favorite meditation gardens, filled with soft grass to sit on and more kinds of flowers than she can count. She lets go of Opal’s hand when they sit beside each other on the stone bench. “We could leave whenever, really. How soon were you thinking?”

Jinora glances out at the sunset, then back to Opal. “A few weeks, maybe. We’ll have to write to Su, of course, and ask when works best for them. But really it doesn’t matter. I just thought it would be nice.” Opal hums in agreement, and Jinora is happy.

The feeling almost strikes her by surprise; not because she hasn’t felt happy in the last few weeks, but because she also feels _free._ She’s no longer so strictly tethered to her duties, to her responsibilities as an airbending master, to her idea of who she was supposed to be. She feels free, like an Air Nomad. It occurs to her that her ancestors were _nomads,_ meaning they travelled quite a bit. She hasn’t travelled too much since the Earth Kingdom stabilized, but that’s something that she’ll have to keep in mind, she decides. Visiting her own family back in Republic City probably wouldn’t be a terrible idea, either.

Jinora looks to the horizon again and realizes that the sun is gone. The stars above them begin to twinkle, and now… she did ask Opal out here for a reason. There was one thing she’d never had answered. Jinora steels herself, and turns to her friend. “Do you remember the last time we meditated on anger, and you said that you were no longer angry? Is that still true?”

Opal bites her lip contemplatively. “Yeah. I think I realized that it was both of our faults, in the end. The distance wasn’t helping, and our lives weren’t in sync the way they used to be. He’s happy living his life in Republic City, and I’m happy travelling or being here at the temple.” She glances at Jinora, who smiles at her encouragingly. “I like my life, you know? I didn’t want to sacrifice that for him. But it was wrong of me to be angry at him for that. So I feel better. The meditations did help, though. Thanks, again.”

“You’re welcome, Opal.” Jinora says, and then sighs. “I only wish they’d helped me as much as they helped you. But I was trying my best to separate myself from my feelings, and then… you know. It was a bad idea from the start.”

“We all make mistakes,” Opal assures her. “And it’s not always easy face our feelings. But we both learned. It’ll be better from here on out.”

A few moments pass, filled only with the chirping of crickets and the sound of the wind rustling the trees. “Are you still sad?” Jinora asks, tentatively. “You said that as well that night, that you felt sad. Are you sad because you’re not with Bolin anymore?”

Opal raises her eyebrows and shakes her head. “No, that’s not it at all. It’s not that I don’t miss him, but I’m not sad we’re over. I’m happier now, happier here, and I know it was all for the best in the end. Bolin wasn’t why I felt sad that night.”

Jinora is confused. “So why were you sad? Are you still sad? Did anyone hurt your feelings?” She asks, worried. She’s aware that since her little, well, incident, Opal’s feelings may have been pushed to the side. Guilt pools in her stomach, and she has to work to push it away.

“Not on purpose, no. You didn’t – it’s nothing, really. You don’t have to worry, Jinora.”

“You should have figured it out by now that I’m going to worry no matter what,” Jinora nudges her with her elbow, smiling gently. The corners of Opal’s mouth lift in response, but it’s weaker than what Jinora wants it to be.

Jinora has been thinking about what Ikki told her, about her own feelings, about everything, really. And she can’t help but wonder, can’t help but hope, that Opal might share her feelings. It feels like a desperate wish, so far-fetched that she couldn’t reasonably expect it to come true. When Jinora was younger she’d loved to read great romances, and had even thought she found one of her own. And while months ago she was too overwhelmed to consider her feelings seriously, Jinora thinks that she’s okay now. Okay enough to take a chance on this, at the very least.

She has to tell the full truth of it, though. “My duties weren’t the only thing bothering me before the night of the incident,” Jinora admits quietly, staring impassively down at her hands.

This catches Opal’s attention, and she angles to look at her. “What was it?” Opal asks, but she sounds less surprised than Jinora expects her to. Almost, she thinks, like she’d seen this coming.

Jinora swallows and temples her fingers. “No, I mean… yeah. I hid my feelings, new ones, ones I was sure were… unrequited.” She says, and her face feels hot. The nighttime air is pressing in on her, humid and still. “I hid them because it felt like the wrong time, the wrong place. There was so much else going on. But I also hid them also because I was afraid. I tried to bury them, just like I tried to ignore everything else. And like my feelings about how things ended with Kai, it didn’t work. I couldn’t help but give them fuel, even when I was afraid I was going to be burnt alive.”

When Jinora finally looks up at Opal, she’s staring at her with an expression Jinora can’t quite name. Understanding, perhaps acceptance. But that’s not all that’s there. After a few seconds pass, she speaks. “I was sad because I knew that you weren’t okay and I couldn’t figure out how to help you,” she admits. They stare at each other more, and Opal continues, “I figured that you were dealing with something that I couldn’t begin to help you with. So…” she trails off, before offering a mild smile. “Who is it?”

Jinora blinks, and the next few seconds feel like an eternity of looking into Opal’s eyes, trying to decipher how she doesn’t already _know._ “You,” she finally says, the word slipping out softly. It floats away on the wind, and Jinora feels lighter for it.

Opal’s features shift subtly, her eyebrows arching up and her eyes widening. “Oh,” she breathes, her mouth a small circle. A blush spreads across her cheeks. “Oh.” She repeats, and Jinora feels bashful, shy, but then Opal smiles, too.

“Oh?” Jinora teases, ducking her head a little. They reach for each other’s hands at the same time, and Jinora laces their fingers together. It’s new but familiar, too, in a very wonderful way. “Is that a good thing?”

“Absolutely,” Opal says, and Jinora feels as warm and light as a summer breeze. “Because, fortunately for you, those feelings happen to be requited.”

 _She was right. Ikki was right._ “Fortunately for both of us,” Jinora corrects, and then, when she think that she’ll burst if she grins any wider, they kiss.

\---

\---

_Autumn, 181 AG._

Ikki looks kind of funny without hair, Jinora thinks, although she wouldn’t dare say it. Well. At least not today. They’re waiting in a small room adjoining the temple sanctuary, and Ikki is a little jumpy.

“I’m nervous,” Ikki whispers. Jinora puts a hand on her shoulder and gently stops her from pacing. “Were you this nervous? How did you handle it? You looked so calm.”

“I _was_ nervous,” Jinora tells her, though Ikki looks skeptical. “But it was still one of the best days of my life. I hardly even remember being nervous, now, but according to Mom I hardly slept for a week before the ceremony. It’ll be fine, Ikki. There’s pretty much nothing that you can mess this up, anyway. Dad and I are the ones who have to do all the talking.”

Ikki takes a deep breath, and sighs. “Okay. Thank you, Jinora. For everything.” She opens her arms for a hug, and Jinora returns it gladly.

“No, thank you, Ikki.” She murmurs, and. Well. She can’t think about it just yet, because she has to keep her composure at least until the ceremony is over, but Jinora is overwhelmed with love and gratitude. She swallows it down for the time being, and just hugs her sister.

As they pull away from each other, there’s a knock at the door. Tenzin slips in, a kind smile on his face. “It’s about time to start. Are you ready, Ikki? Jinora?” Both girls nod, and walks up to them. “My daughters,” he murmurs, pulling them into another hug. Jinora wraps her arms around both of them and squeezes. “I love you both very much.”

“Love you too, Dad,” Ikki says shakily, and they pull away. Jinora smiles at her dad, who smiles back. “I guess it’s now or never, huh?”

Jinora turns to her. “You’ve got this,” she tells her, and Ikki nods. Jinora reaches forward and lifts the hood over Ikki’s head and then they file into line, Tenzin in front and Ikki in the middle, before walking out the door.

Never in her life has Jinora seen so much of the Air Nation in one place. The sanctuary is full of airbenders and acolytes alike, in addition to their friends and family, too. She spots Opal standing in front of one of the brass censors and smiles at her. Opal winks back, grinning.

Once they’re settled, standing and facing everyone, Tenzin speaks. “I welcome you here today as we celebrate a joyous moment in the history of the Air Nation. These last few years of peace, maintained through a pact of cooperation between the Air Nation and Avatar Korra, have given us the freedom to blossom in a way I never thought I would live to see. Together we’ve ensured that the culture of our forbearers will _never_ be forgotten, and we’ve laid down the foundation for an even stronger future. We have continued to discover our place in the world as the new Air Nation, a people not identical to the Air Nomads, but influenced and inspired by their great legacy.”

There’s her cue. Jinora raises her voice, and says, “Come forward, Ikki.” She watches as her sister steps forward, bows, and kneels.

“As nine years ago I was welcomed before you all as an airbending master, today we do the same for Ikki. She has worked tirelessly her entire life to prepare for this day, but today does not by any means mark the beginning of her dedication to our nation. Over the last decade, and especially during this past year, Ikki has given herself to serving her nation in any way that she can, and her generous spirit has not gone unnoticed. Her kindness and courage shine as a bright lantern, guiding us forward. She encompasses and raises up the ideals of the Air Nation; peace, balance, and harmony. She also blesses us with her own special gifts of compassion, joy, and hope. Ikki’s leadership as a master will undoubtedly inspire us to achieve even greater things, bringing about a better future for the Air Nation.” Jinora pauses for a moment, and then smiles. “I am proud of my sister, as we all should be. Now, let us anoint our new master.”

She gives up on fighting back her tears as Tenzin lowers Ikki’s hood and Jinora watches her sister stand before them all, a radiant smile on her face. Behind them Opal and the others bend the smoke from the incense, above them the chimes ring brightly, and together they celebrate another wonderful beginning.

\---

Later that evening, long after the party has wound down, Jinora finds her way outside. Ikki wanted to hold the ceremony at the Eastern Air Temple, which pleased Jinora to no end. To host it in the very place where they’d worked together to begin building their futures as leaders in the Air Nation was appropriate, she thinks. The balance they’d finally created was due in half to Ikki’s dedication, and it was right to invite everyone here to commemorate everything that she’s done for not just Jinora, but all of them.

As Jinora wanders outside the temple she observes that the night is dark and clear, a perfect half-moon casting down just enough light to see well. Jinora sits down on a ledge and looks out over the mountains. After living here for more than a year, she considers the temple home just as much as Republic City. Perhaps even more so, because she chose to come here, and chose to stay.

Just as Jinora had hoped, Opal walks outside not five minutes later. “I was looking for you,” she says cheerfully.

Jinora pats the stone beside her. “Well, you found me. Sit down. I just came out for some fresh air and quiet.”

“I’ll be sure not to talk too much then,” Opal teases, and Jinora snorts. Opal swings her legs over the ledge and sits beside her, wrapping an arm around Jinora’s waist. “How are you dealing with everyone being here?” she asks casually, but Jinora knows what she means.

“It’s been easy enough to avoid him; I haven’t been worrying too much about it. Have you run into Bolin, yet?”

“Yes, unfortunately, but it wasn’t too bad. I talked with him for about five minutes before Mako and Korra saved me. He asked me how we were doing, actually.”

Jinora puts a hand on Opal’s knee, and nods knowingly. “And you told him that everything is awful, naturally,” she says in a serious tone, “and that our whole relationship has been complete chaos, full of casualties and widespread misery?”

Opal pinches her side, making Jinora squirm and laugh. “Of course not, dork. I told him the truth. He said he was happy for us, and I think he actually meant it.”

“That’s nice.” Jinora says, before leaning up and kissing Opal’s forehead. “I’m proud of you.”

One thing that Jinora will never tire of is the way Opal blushes when she kisses her. “Thank you. I’m proud of you, too.” She pauses, reaches over and tucks a strand of Jinora’s hair behind her ear. “You spoke beautifully at the ceremony. I about cried up there.”

“Well I’m glad you didn’t. It would have ruined the moment.”

“Oh, I know. It would have been worth it, though. You’re amazing, Jinora,” Opal murmurs. Her fingers trace Jinora’s jawline, and Jinora leans into it a little. “Truly. With you and Ikki in charge here, the Eastern Air Temple is going to be better than ever.”

Jinora grins happily at her. “Thank you,” she says, and then, because she can and she means it and she’s wanted to say it for a while now; “I love you, Opal.” The way Opal’s eyes widen makes Jinora giggle, and she can’t help but lean forward and kiss her.

An eternity later when their lips finally part, Opal leans her forehead against Jinora's and cups her face gently. “I love you too, Jinora,” Opal whispers against her lips, and Jinora is breathless, joyful, _free_. “You make me happier than anything in the world.” They don’t go back inside until hours later, when the moon hangs low in the blanket of the sky.


End file.
